Best Vegan Food in Honolulu

Best Vegan Food in Honolulu

Looking for the best vegan restaurants in Honolulu? Enroute to Australia, my partner Wes and I stopped in Hawaii for a few weeks to enjoy the luscious green islands of paradise. While there, we discovered a wealth of options for vegan and vegetarian travellers.

by Jessica Percy Campbell, The Vegan Vacationista

Here’s my guide for the best restaurants in Honolulu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner out if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or simply looking to try something new.

1. Best Vegan Breakfast in Honolulu: Le Jardin

Some of the best vegan food is at Le Jardin in Honolulu

After a stop to scout out the vegan food scene on Kauai and then chatting up some locals for recommendations on the best vegan food to eat in Oahu, we headed to Le Jardin in Honolulu.

Le Jardin takes the acai smoothie bowl to a whole new level, adding a full fruit salad on the top. They offer mango, apple, kiwi, blueberry, and banana over crunchy granola and frozen acai. I got mine with soy milk. This tiny counter also serves sweet dessert crepes and Hawaiian fruit smoothies at reasonable prices.

Fun tip: If you visit this area on a Tuesday or Thursday, you can also stock up on some exotic fruits, chocolate, coffee, and crafts at the vibrant Waikiki Farmers Market while you’re at it. It’s got some of the best vegan food in Honolulu.

2. Best Vegan Lunch: Simple Joy Vegetarian Cuisine

Explore some great vegan restaurants in Honolulu

We stumbled across this humble vegan restaurant on our way downtown and were so glad we did. It’s definitely one of the best vegan restaurants in Honolulu. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist strip, Simple Joy specializes in south-east Asian style food as well as American and Italian dishes.

I tried the breaded soy “chickun” nuggets which were so much like the real thing I ordered a second batch. I also ordered the teriyaki kabobs as per the server’s recommendation. The kabobs were a little salty, slightly chewy, and made from lemongrass soy protein sided with a generous serving of stir-fried veggies. A nice choice if you’re tired of the same ol’ tofu chunks on a stick.

3. Best Vegan Dinner: The Down Beat Diner

Enjoy the retro vibe at Down Beat Diner

Located in Old China Town, The Down Beat is a trendy American retro style diner with an alternative twist. This establishment is split into a small local music venue on one side, and a diner with a full bar on the other, creatively decorated with old-fashioned black and white booths featuring portraits of celebrities such as Bill Murray and Michael Jackson.

Most importantly (to me), almost every dish on the menu can be made vegan on request and that makes it one of the best vegan restaurants in Honolulu. After a sweltering day of sun bathing at Ala Moana Beach, I was ready for a frosty caramel milkshake (coconut milk base).

Then came the real treat, vegan hot wings! The “wings” were crispy on the outside with a melt-in-your mouth tenderness and not too spicy. Made from wheat gluten and soy proteins, they come with a side of homemade ranch and shall go down in history as one of my favorite mock meats of all time. Add a veggie burger with some curly fries to top it off and you will be one happy camper.

Bonus features: All day breakfast, vegan spare ribs, and live music 6 nights a week.

If you haven’t already done it, be sure to add Hawaii to your bucket list. Each island offers its own flavour and Oahu has a little bit of something for everyone.

Whether you’re a hiker, a surfer, a foodie, or simply a sun-bather, Honolulu, Oahu is worth a visit.

Jessica Percy-Campbell is a world traveller from Montreal who lives to explore local communities, subcultures, vegan/vegetarian eats and hidden corners of the globe. Keep up with @veganvacationista on Instagram.

My niece JUST got back (yesterday) from Hawaii! She would have loved this post. I’ll get there one day and have bookmarked your post. Food looks fabulous and I love how you described the vegan hot wings! Yum!

The food here looks delicious. I am not vegan, but my daughter is (with some other dietary restrictions as well) and finding good places to eat when I’m with her can be tricky, especially if we are travelling. I will have to hang on this info should we get to Honolulu soon.

Being a vegetarian, it’s heart warming to see vegan and vegetarian food posts from different corners of the world. That honolulu has such a nice set of restaurants with delicious vegan foods is really a delight for me. As whenever I travel abroad, searching for vegan and vegetarian food is often a challenge for me

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About Michele

Dividing her time between Canada, Mexico and Guatemala, Michele Peterson's work has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source , National Geographic Traveler, Fodor's, WestJet and more than 100 other publications.

Here at A Taste for Travel she travels the world scouting out the most fascinating food experiences to help readers plan their own vacations or create recipes at home. Her writing has been recognized with awards by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) and Destination Ontario.